Stooshie in Paradise

A 21st century human rights horror that takes us back to the days of the Inquisition

- but which will never be revealed to Strasbourg

• People being imprisoned without formal trial

A 21st century human rights horror that takes us back to the days of the Inquisition

- but which will never be revealed to Strasbourg

• People being imprisoned without formal trial

• Because of prison overcrowding, they are being locked in unheated mountain lock-ups..…for 5 years….

• No-one dares speak out – lives are cheap

Be afraid……..

An inconspicuous half-ruined farm-house Who is inside?

Not enough sunlight to avoid vitamin D deficiencyBut why are the state prisons so full? Pourquoi?

Some have escaped, through brute force

But most languish for years, and many die- with no formal trial, they just disappear

In a quiet, exquisitely beautiful, remote, mountain-bound, not-quite secret ……

.

The story begins….

In a quiet, exquisitely beautiful, remote, mountain-bound, not-quite secret ……

…..region of FRANCE

The story begins….

The story ends….

In the same quiet, exquisitely beautiful,, remote, mountain-bound, not-quite secret ……

…..region of FRANCE

…. for its easy way of life

…. for its silk-worms

… and cheese

…. and fruit

.… and its…..

It’s a region well known…

It’s a region well known……. for its easy way of life

Silk

…. for its silk-worms

… and cheese

…. and its fruit,

It’s a region well known…

…. for its easy way of life,

…. for its silk-worms

… and cheese

…. and fruit

.… and its

Eat yer persimmon out, Samuel Palmer …

…. for its easy way of life,

…. for its silk-worms

… and cheese

…. and fruit

.… and its …..

It’s a region well known…

.… and its …..

.… and its …..

Their spiteful husks are called ‘bogues’Pronounced ‘bog’, with a little ‘ugh’ at the end

With the loss of the silk industry to China after the ‘39-45 war …(they had only made parachutes for 6 years…)

The only remaining income was once again from chestnuts.

With the loss of the silk industry to China after the ‘39-45 war …(they had only made parachutes for 6 years…)

The only remaining income was once again from chestnuts.

The only remaining battles were with the chestnut tree ‘maladie’, the sangliers, and with worms

A wormhas stolenthis one

It’s a hard life for honest paysanne folk,

Land is cheap - but its value is collossal… to certain people

It’s a hard life for honest paysanne folk,

Land is cheap - but its value is collossal… to certain people

Lately, the stakes have been raised

Lately, the stakes have been raised

Lately, the stakes have been raised

Lately, the stakes have been raised

Chestnut theft

• This local law is outside French State Law.

• It is being enforced by self-appointed vigilante groups, the Bogue-Police

• This local law is outside French State Law.

• It is being enforced by self-appointed vigilante groups, the Bogue-Police

Chestnut theft

Beware!

Chestnut theftAnyone seen to pick up just one chestnut off the ground is hunted down, seized, and thrown into jail, ……for 5 years.

Chestnut theftAnyone seen to pick up just one chestnut off the ground is hunted down, seized, and thrown into jail, ……for 5 years.

With evidence in the pocket, expensive trials are unnecessary –old-fashioned French common- sense.

Undercover Bogue-police, with dogs and CCTV soon filled the state jails

Beware! - they operate

• Out-of-hours

• Out of uniform

• Off-road

A stranger or a friend passing on a forest track could be a common chestnut-thief …

… or a member of the Bogue-Police

A passing car is watching you

The Bogue Police and chestnut- thieves both use subtle disguises

Dumped chestnuts at the roadside - thieves tried to leg it

How many chestnut thieves have been captured is not recorded anywhere in French records

Nor how many emerge from their jails

This one has no windows, and a pipe to supply air

This much is known – or unknown…- but what lies behind these horrors?

It turns out to be far worse

Nobody will tell you this, and none who can be overheard dares utter his name …

The man behind this is a perfectly charming gentleman, to the public eye

He is M. Daudet Clement Fayegier - ‘F’

He leads the Cult of the Bogue, and he controls the Bogue Police

‘F’ deals in nuts.He adds value to nuts

.He doesn’t like to pay for nuts

So….He is gradually taking over all the chestnut forests, from people who will never sell.

The old religion is not merely hanging on here It is dominant, and ruthless

The cult of the Bogue is celebrated annually at the Salamander Ball

‘F’ is its leader

Chestnut trees are believed locally to have magical fertility powers

Deep in the forest, sacrificial symbols are hung on chestnut trees

Its leaders preside over lurid rituals,

in forest clearings

No witnesses outside the cult can survive

Was this a ‘disappeared’ prisoner?

or a sacrificial victim?

No records exist…

The Bogue-Police use massive nets to ensnare chestnut thieves at night

Who takes these risks, and why?

You can ask questions. but you will not receive answers.

The houses, over 300 years old, have changed little over the years.

There are clues.

• Develop garish red shutters

Extensive refurbishments are obvious clues

Huge swimming pools appear in isolated hamlets

If you are alone, be afraid…..

Temptation can seldom be resisted

And, Jings, the rewards can be great!

So if you value the good life, get out there. Defy ‘F’ and the Bogue Police!

Its worth all the risks

In Paradise….. Some nuts are just not for cracking

(Victory) O’er Bogie